Popforward: Niki & The Dove

On the contrary to the misleading promo pic above, Niki & The Dove are not literally Niki and a dove. No one in the band’s named Niki either, how confusing! The Swedish band has been making the rounds with their off-kilter pop tunes, but what I previously heard did not make me a full-time believer yet. That was until “Gentle Roar”, undoubtedly their best offer so far. With its pounding beats and earthy, pagan-like chants, the track feels esoteric and eerie, but it’s their big POP moment, as opposed to earlier tracks which only seemed to teasingly teeter around that territory. I dare you to sit still while listening to this. It’s a wicked monster of a song. If you have an ear for fantastically weird Scandinavian music like The Knife, Fever Ray, Jenny Wilson or Lykke Li, then Niki & The Dove should be your cup of tea. “Gentle Roar” is on their new “12 single “The Fox”, out now on Sub Pop. You can stream it below and grab the great Mylo remix on the way.